ABetterBallpoint

Caran d'Ache is a Swiss company that's been producing precise writing instruments for almost a century. While some of their fancier pens can run well over a hundred dollars, we prefer these colorful but simple ballpoints. Crafted from sturdy yet lightweight metal, they're coated with several layers of smooth enamel so the color stay vibrant. We found ours at Sid Mashburn's shop, and they're an absolute pleasure to write with—whether you're handwriting a note or just quickly jotting an office memo. It feels comfortable in your hand and the writing is consistent thanks to a Goliath giant ink cartridge and a smooth ballpoint tip. That's one of the funny things about buying a better pen: it actually makes you want to write more. And as people who spend the majority of their time working with keyboards, we can safely say that practicing penmanship daily is actually kind of therapeutic.